While we often analyse the meaning of clothing worn by celebrities on red carpets or politicians during public announcements (Rishi Sunak certainly ruined Sambas for the fashion girlies), the individual wardrobe choices we all make every day tell a bigger story than one might expect.
Professor George Taylor first noted a new economic theory called the ‘Hemline Index’ in 1926, which suggested that the shorter the skirt, the stronger the economy. The Wharton Business School Professor noted that shorter skirts were more fashionable in thriving times because women could show off their silk stockings, but when finances became tighter, hemlines would drop to hide the lack of hosiery.
While this theory may appear dated – stockings haven’t been considered a flaunt-worthy item since the 1920s – if you analyse skirt trends all the way up to the early 2000s, Taylor’s concept holds up.
For example, in the 1930s when registered unemployment in the UK soared, women traded in their flapper dresses for longer, simpler skirts. After the second world war, when Labour created the welfare state, the economy was in disarray; with Britain being considered bankrupt by its allies. The result? Dior debuted their iconic floor-length voluminous skirts in 1947, a fashion that persisted into the 1950s. By the 1960s, Britain was booming – and in comes the mini skirt (just in time for the introduction of the Pill and women’s new reproductive freedom).
Yet the mini skirt was not a wardrobe staple in the 1970s, at the time of the Winter of Discontent, it was more popular for women to be flaunting maxi dresses than baring their legs. The trend continued into the eighties, accompanying the miners’ strike in 1984. Luckily, the 1990s brought girl power, Brit Pop, and Kate Moss, all factors that cemented the mini skirt as a weapon in any woman’s wardrobe. But in 2008 the country experienced a global recession, and once again fashion reflected the economic state of the country, with skirts being worn over jeans.
But where does that leave us now, does the state of the economy still dictate skirt trends or has the cyclical nature of the fashion industry disrupted this long-term theory?
“Fashion is our chosen skin; we can’t choose what we look like, but we can choose what we wear; our clothes are reflective of who we are,” says Fashion Merchandiser and Psychologist Katherine Erskine. “But they also reflect how we feel, and that in turn reflects wider economic trends”, she says. In this consumer age the micro mini skirt is trending among teenage girls, while for women between the ages of 20 and 35 – who have more financial responsibility – longer, fuller skirts are the preferred option.
This longer hemline was apparent across multiple runways during this year’s worldwide fashion weeks. Chloé Spring-Summer 2024 Ready- to-Wear collection featured a boho-chic staple, flowing white lace skirts. Simone Rocha Spring 2024 RTW highlighted the surprising elegance of rigid, full skirts, and Molly Goddard Spring 2024 RTW demonstrated that puffiness and petticoats can look ever-so-chic.
Katherine also suggested that it’s likely this latest skirt trend reflects the public’s confidence in the state of the economy. “A woman’s hemline is meant to be an indicator of confidence; it is an emotional response,” she says. “When the economy is doing well, they’re happier; they’re more confident, so naturally they would be more drawn to the mini skirt.”
Stressing the link between clothing and emotion she says, “Fashion mirrors our psychological state. In unstable times I think the skirt offers protection, it reflects the uncertainty of the world and has everything to do with the political landscape they are in.”
Currently, the UK economy is definitely uncertain, explained Claudia Nelson, Group Credit Officer at Fitch Ratings, a credit ratings and analysis firm for financial markets.
“Many people thought Covid-19 was going to be like the roaring twenties because the Government gave money to people to spend, they didn’t have to pay rent or mortgages, they were given money to go to restaurants, start a business, they injected loads of money in the economy,” she explains. “So all of a sudden people had all this extra money.”
But now, “The cost of living has gone up, which means a much higher proportion of take-home pay or what is known as a person’s ‘basket of goods’ has to go towards food, rent, and petrol, and so what people have left is much less than they used to have,” says Nelson.
So, the correlation is there: the UK economy is in a state of disarray, and long hemlines are all the rage. As Erskine explained, clothes reflect our emotional state, and that state is currently one of uncertainty. Who will be the next Prime Minister, and will the cost-of-living crisis cease to exist? These are questions no one has the answer to, but at least when women are walking around this summer cocooned in their protective armour, T-shirts and maxi skirts, fashionistas will know that we’re in turbulent times.
Pictures: Stock Images
Designs: Pius Bentgens